T1-functionalist strain and subcultural theories

Question 1

the sociology of crime and deviance is about …

Answer 1

rules and rule breaking, who makes and eenforces the rules

Question 2

functionalists see deviance as .. (4)

Answer 2

• disruption social stbility
• inevitable
• and benificial
• universal

Question 3

functionalists are interested in … (2)

Answer 3

• cause of deviance eg. blocked opportunities
• deviant subcultures

Question 4

deviant subcultures definition

Answer 4

groups whos valkue are opposed to wider society

Question 5

functionalists belive that society is in …

Answer 5

concenus - shares a common culture

Question 6

culture definition

Answer 6

set of shared norms (rules ), values, beliefs and goals.

Question 7

sharing the same culture produces …

Answer 7

social solidarity - it binds people together, telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves.

Question 8

solidarity is achieved with two key mechanisms …(2)

Answer 8

• socialisation –> instils the shared culture into its members. this helps to ensure that individuals internalsie thr same norms and values, and that they feel it right to act in the ways that society requires
• social control –> mechanisms include rewards (or positive sanctions ) for conformity and punishments (negative sanctions) for deviance, this helps to ensure that individuals behave in ways soceity expects

Question 9

two reasosn why crime and deviance is found in all societies - (2) funct

Answer 9

• not everyone is equally effectivly socialised into the shared norms and values, so some individuals will be prone to deviate
• there is a diversity of lifestyles and values in modern society. different groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values, and what the members of the subcultures regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant.

Question 10

durkhiem - anomie

Answer 10

modern societys tend towards normlessness - te rules governing behavior become weaker and less clear cut.

Question 11

anomie and suicide - durkheim

Answer 11

anomie is the cause of suicide

Question 12

anomie in modern society

Answer 12

modern societies have a complex, specialised divison of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly differnent from one another. this weakens shared culture or collective consciousness and results in higher levels of deviance.

Question 13

postive functions of crime (2)

Answer 13

-boundary maintinance
adaptation and change

Question 14

3. boundary maininance

Answer 14

crime produces a reaction frim society, unighting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforcing thier commitment to the shared norms and values.

Question 15

2. adaptation and change

Answer 15

all change starts with an act of deviance. individuls with new ideas, values and ways of living must not be completely stifled by the weight of social control. there musst be some scope for them to challenge and change exsisting norms, values and in the forst instance this will appear as deviance.
eg. religious visionaries

Question 16

2 ways that crime signals the malunctioning of the social system 2) - durkheim

Answer 16

• too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart
• too little means that society is repressing and controlling it members too much, stifling individual freedom and preventing change.

Question 17

kingsly davis (1937+ 1961) - positive function of crime

Answer 17

prostetution acts as a safety valve for the rekleaseof mens sexual frustrations without treatning the monogamous nucear family

Question 18

Ned polsky (1967) - postive function of crime

Answer 18

argues that porn safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultury, which would pose a much greater threat to the family.

Question 19

Albert cohen - positive function of deviance

Answer 19

• deviance acts as a warning that an institution is not functioning properly

Question 20

kai erikson (1966)

Answer 20

crime/ deviance is inevitable. if deviance performs positive social functions then perhaps society is supposed to promote deviance . he suggests that the true function of agenncies of control is actually to maintain a certain level of crime ratger than rid society of it.

Question 21

critisisms of durkheim (4)

Answer 21

• does not say what the right amount of crime is
• does not explain why the crime exists
• ignores how it may effect diffenren groups
• not all crime reinforces solidarity eg. women become isolated

Question 22

what is strain theory

Answer 22

suggests that people engage in devaint behavior when they are unable to achieve sociallu approved goals by legitimate means.

Question 23

mertons explainations explains what 2 factors (2)

Answer 23

• structural –> societies unequal opportunities structure
• cultural –> the strong empasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitaimate means go achieve them

Question 24

who came up with strain theory

Answer 24

merton

Question 25

what causes deviance - according to strain theory

Answer 25

- the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve - what institutional structure of society allows them to acheive legotimatly

Question 26

merton - american dream

Answer 26

high monetary success - society is meticiocratic

Question 27

how does strain between the cultral goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities cause deviance

Answer 27

creates frustrations which causes people to resort to crime, illegitimate means

Question 28

explaian why there are different deviant adaptations to strain - merton

Answer 28

- he argues that an individuals position in the social structure affects the way they or respond to anomie

Question 29

name all the deviant adaptations to strain- merton (5)

Answer 29

- conformity - innovation - ritualism - reatreatism - rebellion

Question 30

conformity - merton

Answer 30

individuals acceot the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them ligitimatley - m/c

Question 31

innovation - merton

Answer 31

individuals accept the goal of monetary success but use new legotimate means such as theft or fraud

Question 32

ritualism - merton

Answer 32

individuals give up on trying to achive goals but have internalised the legitimate means and so they follow he rules for their own sake

Question 33

retreatism - merton

Answer 33

individuals reject the goals and legitimate means - becoming dropoust

Question 34

rebellion - merton

Answer 34

individuals reject the current societies goals and means, instead replacing them with mew ones in a desire to bring change and a new society

Question 35

evaulation of merton - strain theory - positive

Answer 35

explains the patterns found on the crime stats

Question 36

evaulation of merton - strain theory - negative (5)

Answer 36

- crime stats overrepersent the workinh class - determanistic marxists siggest tha ot ignotes the power of the ruling class - assumes that there is a value concensus - only accounts for ulitarian crimes - ignores the role of group deviance

Question 37

subcultural strain theories (3)

Answer 37

cohen cloward and ohlin lea and young

Question 38

what do subcultural strain theories say about deviance

Answer 38

deviance is the product of a deliquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society

Question 39

sub cultures provide - subcultural straian

Answer 39

an alternative opprtunity structure for those who are denied the chance to achive by legitimate means

Question 40

who is most likely to be denied chance to achive with legitimate means

Answer 40

the w/c

Question 41

subcultures are a soloution to a problem

Answer 41

they are functional for their members and wider society

Question 42

COHEN - STATUS FRUSTRATION + merton

Answer 42

agrees with merton that deviance is mainly a lower class phenomenon. it results from the inability of those in the lower classes to achive mainstream goals by legitimate means

Question 43

COHEN CRITICISES MERTON (2)

Answer 43

- merton ignores group deviance - merton focuses on ulitarian crime

Question 44

cohen focuses on and frustration in schls

Answer 44

deviance amongst working class boys. he argues that they face anomie in the middle class dominated school, they suffer from cultural deprivation and lack the skills to achieve. their inability to succeed leaves them at the bottom of the heirachy

Question 45

resolving status frustration

Answer 45

by rejecting mainstream m/c values and turn to other boys instead forming or joining eviant subcultures

Question 46

the delinquent subculture inverts ....

Answer 46

the values of mainstream society

Question 47

cohen - subculture function

Answer 47

offers boys alternative status heirarchy in which they can achieve. - creaing own illigitimate opportunities

Question 48

one stregnth of cohens subcultural theory

Answer 48

offers an explination of non ulitarien crimes/ deviance

Question 49

one weakness of cohens subcultural thoery

Answer 49

assumes w/c boys start off sharing m/c goals, which they reject when failing. ignores the possibility that they never had these goals nor saw themsleves as failures

Question 50

cloward and ohlin - 3 subcultures

Answer 50

different subcultures respond in different ways to the lack of legitimate opportunities. not every turns to innovation suchas theft

Question 51

reason for different subculture responses - cloward and ohlin

Answer 51

the key reason is not only unequal access to legitimate opprtunities but also unequal access to the illigitimate opportnuites structure.

Question 52

cloward and ohlin - dfferent neighboured subcultural theory

Answer 52

diferent neightbourhoods provide soffrent illigiytimate oppirtubites for ypooungf peole to learn criminal skills and develop criminal carears.

Question 53

3 types of deviant subcltures- cloward and ohlin

Answer 53

- criminal - conflict - retreatist

Question 54

criminal subcultures - cloward and ohlins

Answer 54

provides youth with an apprentership for a career in ulitarien crime - neighbourhoods with longstanding and established criminal cultur eand heorarchy - role models and career ladder

Question 55

conflict subcultures - cloward and ohlin

Answer 55

high population turnover - disorgqnosation, only illigitemante means are avaliable

Question 56

retreatist subcultures - clowards and ohlin

Answer 56

in any neighnborugiod,